Our Complaint to Seattle Public Schools

Responses to complaint to SPS Ombudsperson

Response #1 — December 10, 2024

From: SPS Let's Talk! Dialogue <seattleschools.wa@k12-lets-talk.com>

Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 1:14 PM

To: Gregory Goldstein

Subject: Re: Ombuds Service Form

Hello Gregory, 

Thanks for reaching out. I am sorry that you are having the concern that you outlined in the attachment.  The Ombuds Office does investigate formal complaints of this matter. However, I have reached out to see who would be the most appropriate staff to follow up with you regarding your formal complaint to review, investigate and determine your case. 

I will be in touch as soon as I hear back to let you know who will be following up. In the meantime, can you let me know if you reached out to anyone else since you sent this concern to the Ombuds Office and if they responded in follow up? 

Thanks for your patience as I research the next steps. 

Respectfully, 

Heidi Henderson-Lewis

District Ombuds Person

Response #3 — December 20, 2024

From: Manu, Faauu M <fmmanu@seattleschools.org>

Sent: Friday, December 20, 2024 2:53 PM

To: greg goldstein <gl_goldstein@yahoo.com>

Cc: Superintendent <superintendent@seattleschools.org>; Redmond, Beverly L <blredmond@seattleschools.org>; Podesta, Fred H <fhpodesta@seattleschools.org>; Campbell, Marni A <macampbell@seattleschools.org>; Ombuds Office <ombudsman@seattleschools.org>

Subject: Re: Formal Complaint: Option Schools Waitlist

Dear Mr. Goldstein,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter and for sharing your concerns about the enrollment and waitlist management process in Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and on behalf of other families you mentioned in the complaint. We understand the frustration caused by the challenges of securing placements in option schools, and we value the opportunity to address your concerns directly.

First and foremost, we want to emphasize that SPS is committed to balancing enrollment across all 104 schools in the district to ensure equity and access for all families. While we understand that families want to secure placements at their desired schools, it is important to note that enrollment decisions are guided by both capacity and district-wide needs, including the priority of serving students within their assigned attendance areas.

The district reserves the right to make adjustments to enrollment in order to balance capacity and demand. This means that, when there are waitlists at certain schools and additional seats are available in classrooms, SPS will prioritize filling those empty seats based on demand as much as possible; this includes moving students off waitlists where possible. We strive to balance the needs of students and families while avoiding negative impacts on school staffing levels or on the enrollment stability of surrounding schools.

We acknowledge that school choice is a key component of the district’s offerings. The school choice lottery provides an opportunity for families to apply for schools outside their designated attendance area, but as with all school choice systems, assignments are contingent upon availability. We work to accommodate as many students as possible, but families should understand that there are no guarantees of assignment to their chosen school. This is particularly true in schools with high demand, where space and resources are limited.

Regarding the concerns about transparency, we are committed to providing clearer communication about the waitlist process. We understand that families need clear expectations regarding enrollment and the likelihood that their child will be placed at their desired school. We will be updating the Student Assignment Transition Plan as we do on an annual basis and posted to the enrollment webpage at https://www.seattleschools.org/enroll/about-our-schools/student-assignment/. However, also recognize the improvement for public communication so families and schools can better navigate the process.

We also acknowledge the need to address the under-enrollment of some option schools and its impact on staffing. Our goal is to ensure that all schools are appropriately staffed and resourced to meet the needs of students, particularly those furthest from educational justice. While we do need to balance enrollments district-wide, we remain committed to filling seats in option schools where space allows, and demand exists but assignment to an option school or a neighborhood school from a waitlist are never a guarantee.

We appreciate your suggestions for improving the enrollment process and look forward to engaging with families and communities to better align our policies with the needs of all students. We will take your feedback into account as we continue to refine our approach and ensure equitable access to education across the district.

To conclude, you can find the last three years, 2022 – 2024 data related to the percentage of school choice applications is on our enrollment webpage under Historical Choice Data at https://www.seattleschools.org/enroll/about-our-schools/school-choice/ . The previous years are no longer accessible on our webpage, 2020 & 2021, so I have enclosed them for your convenience.

All other data requests will need to go through our SPS Public Record Requests process by using this link for future reference, https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/legal-department/public-records-requests/.

Thank you for your continued involvement and for your dedication to the success of all Seattle Public Schools students.

Sincerely,

Seattle Public Schools

Faauu Manu (she/her)

Director of Enrollment

Planning and Services